STDs (hehe ... that's just funny)

That's right everyone ... Save The Date cards are going in the mail before April 1! That means this thing is actually happening ... turning back.

Here's a preview of what you'll be receiving in your mailboxes soon:
When I began planning this whole shindig I quickly realized how expensive anything wedding related can be. I just couldn't bring myself to spend heaps of money on Save The Dates and invitations, especially when I or any of my talented friends could make something far more awesome than some product pushed by the WIC (wedding industrrial complex).

I got the idea for this postcard one day as I was drinking a cup of coffee. I took the photo at Northwoods Coffee Company in Coldwater, Michigan where Jake is head barista. He poured that lovely latte art heart in the cup. Then, I wrote "save" and "the" on the dishes with black dry-erase marker, and "date" on the newspaper with a Sharpie. This is the un-edited photo.

Once I had the image in Photoshop I went to town. I first selected the latte art and made that into a separate layer. Then, I grayscaled the rest of the photo. Then, I boosted the color of the latte art to be vibrant but still have a vintage feel. Then, I blew out the contrast of the entire photo to give it a grainy and vintage look. I came up with a few other versions of this photos, but in the end Jake and I chose the black and white version. Here's a color version I did as well. I was going for a kitschy/indie/vintage look on this one as well.

I had such a good time making my STD cards, I'm thinking of opening up a shop on Etsy (www.etsy.com) for photography-focused STDs and invitations.

Okay, okay ... I know I told you guys I would write a post highlighting hotels, bed & breakfasts and campsites in the area ... and I will! :-) It's quite a research-driven post and I just haven't had time to put it together. And remember, if there's something you'd like to know about regarding the wedding or the area around Union City, let me know. I'd be happy to post about it.

Indie Crafting Madness!

You all know that Jake and I are all about making our wedding very unique, handmade and completely cool. However, where do we go to get inspired?

I'll be doing a few posts to give some insight into the behind-the-scenes action of Amy + Jake: The Wedding.

This is the first of those posts.

Indie Fixx
www.indiefixx.com



Indie Fixx is my go-to place for fun and indie craft ideas. They promote everything handmade and anti-commercialism. I first found this site when I started researching for our wedding and fell in love instantly with their kitschy cool projects and commentary.

They also have a very handy wedding section chock full of DIY wedding ideas and crafts.

And not only do they post DIY project instructions, they also highlight indie crafters. Plus, they have awesome giveaways. They're currently running this contest:

What better way to celebrate autumn than with an indie giveaway?

From Indie Fixx - "Autumn is officially here (at least for us folks in the Northern Hemisphere) and that means it’s time for changing leaves, pumpkin carving, trick-or-treaters, butternut squash soup, my black kitty to sit in the window and look spooky, giving thanks and cornucopias of indie goodies to give away!"

I'm particularly into the notebooks from crafter Ex Libris Anonymous

Head on over to Indie Fixx and get inspired!